Overview
This article introduces the "Q&A" button, located near the center of the Bottom Panel in the Live Classroom. Upon selecting it, the classroom's Q&A contents will load in the Right Panel. The Q&A feature allows class participants to post questions that other participants can respond to. Below is a screenshot that highlights the location of this button, as well as how its contents appear within the Right Panel:
In the screenshot above, the Q&A button displays a red dot in the corner of its icon. This dot signals that there are Q&A entries or responses you haven't read, yet.
Below, we'll go into details about what appears within the Q&A panel:
- Question Count - At the top-left of the panel is a counter that lets you know the number of questions that have been asked.
- Search Questions - Enter a word or phrase in this box to filter questions that contain it. Keep in mind, the search applies only to the question text itself, not to any responses.
- 3-Dots Menu - This menu can be selected to display a dropdown of various options, which we'll list below:
- Show My Questions Only - You can toggle this option to display only the questions that you posted.
- Download All Questions - Select this to download all Q&A entries as a Microsoft Word document (i.e. .docx). Note that this will not include any uploaded files.
- Mark All As Read - Mark all unread items as read.
- Q&A Entries - The panel primarily displays a list of Q&A entries, sorted with the newest questions at the top. Selecting an entry opens its details, which will be explained in the next section. For now, here's what each entry shows on this screen:
- Question - Displayed prominently in large, bold text.
- Date and Author - Shown beneath the question, indicating how long ago it was posted and by whom.
- Delete - Instructors and TAs can hover their cursor over an entry to reveal this button. Clicking it will delete the entry.
- Pin / Unpin - Instructors and TAs can hover their cursor over an entry to reveal this button. It can be toggled to pin the entry to the top of the list.
- Unread - Entries with a yellow circle in the top-right corner show items you haven't read. This includes both brand-new questions and previously viewed ones that have received new responses.
- Answer Count - This orange-colored counter will show you the number of responses the question has received.
- Approved Answer Count - This green-colored counter will show you the number of responses to the question that an Instructor or TA have marked as "approved", indicating they are an accurate response to the question.
- Attachments - If an attachment was included with the question, a paperclip icon will appear.
- Post a New Question - At the bottom of the list of Q&A entries is a "+" button that can be clicked to post a new question. Upon clicking it, you will see the below form:
We'll describe the various fields seen within this form:- Close - An "x" icon will appear at the top-right of the form. Click this to cancel the post and to go back the Q&A list.
- Subject - Type your question into this field. This is the text that will appear in the Q&A list.
- Description / Details - Use this optional text area to provide further details or context about your question, which will be visible once users view the details of your question.
- Post Anonymously - If you'd like to post your question anonymously, toggle this switch. If this is enabled, the author of your question will show "Anonymous" instead of your name.
- Attach File - If you'd like to attach a file to go with your question, select this icon. You'll then be prompted to select a file from your device.
- Post - Select this button to submit your question.
Q&A Entry Details
To view the details of a Q&A entry, simply click it from the list. Upon doing so, you should see something like the below:
Below, we'll describe all that is displayed in the Q&A entry details screen:
- Answer Count - At the top-left of the panel is a counter that lets you know the number of answers that have been provided to the question.
- Search Answers - Enter a word or phrase in this box to filter answers that contain it.
- Back to All Questions - This link can be clicked to take you back to the listing of all Q&A entries.
- Question Subject - In large, bold text will be the question for the entry.
- Date and Author - Shown beneath the question, indicating how long ago it was posted and by whom.
- Question Details - If the user provided additional details or included an attachment for their question, it will appear here.
- Answer Entries - The majority of the panel will be occupied by the list of answers that have been provided. The list will be sorted with the most recent answer submissions at the top. We'll describe the various fields seen within each answer entry below:
- Date and Author - Shown at the top of each entry, this shows how long ago the answer was submitted and by whom.
- Answer Text - This is the text of the answer that was posted in response to the question. Any attachments included with answer can be downloaded from here, as well.
- Delete - Instructors and TAs can hover their cursor over an answer to reveal this button, which they can use to remove the answer.
- Approve / Remove Approval - Instructors and TAs can hover over an answer to reveal this button, which allows them to mark the answer as approved. While optional, this feature is useful when multiple responses have been submitted and it's not immediately clear which are correct. Approved answers are pinned to the top of the response list, and multiple answers can marked as approved. Additionally, approved entries are highlighted with a light green background, making them easily identifiable to all participants.
- Post Answer - Selecting this box will expand a form you can fill out and submit if you'd like to post an answer to the question. Below is a sample screenshot of this form:
We'll go over the various fields seen within this form below:- Close - An "x" icon will appear at the top-right of the form. Click this to cancel the post and to go back the list of answers.
- Answer Text - Type your answer response into this text area.
- Post Anonymously - If you'd like to post your answer anonymously, toggle this switch. If this is enabled, the author of your answer will show "Anonymous" instead of your name.
- Attach File - If you'd like to attach a file to go with your answer, select this icon. You'll then be prompted to select a file from your device.
- Post - Select this button to submit your answer.
Notes
Below are some useful notes about Engageli's Q&A feature:
- While the feature is referred to as Q&A, it can also be used as a discussion forum and often is. Entries do not necessarily have to be questions.
- Creating a new Q&A entry with a link to any relevant websites and attaching course material (such as a course syllabus) is a common use for the Q&A feature. Pinning such an entry also helps to make it visible to participants.
- Q&A entries are shared between the Live Classroom and Playback Room, so the panel shows the same content in either environment.